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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25385176">so tell me what you want to hear</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/elyrey/pseuds/elyrey'>elyrey</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Coming Out, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Getting Together, Human Disaster Tim Drake, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Mutual Pining, Tim Drake has Anxiety, Tim Drake-centric</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:42:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,714</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25385176</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/elyrey/pseuds/elyrey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>And here Tim was, about to ask his goddamn crush to be his fake boyfriend.</p>
<p>He couldn’t do this, he absolutely, positively, could not—</p>
<p>This was a huge mistake.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tim Drake/Jason Todd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>374</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>so tell me what you want to hear</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bionerd2Point0/gifts">Bionerd2Point0</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A gift for the wonderful Bionerd2point0 for the Capes &amp; Coffee Discord server event, "Tim Drake's Birthday Hunt"! Congrats on finding all five llamas!!</p>
<p>A <em>huge</em> thank you to Oceans and Tasteofpaint for being my betas for this!!</p>
<p>Title is from One Republic's "Secrets"!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tim stared at the phone, at the contact pulled up, and wished for some sign to either call or suffer through the whole situation. He could suffer through it, but… Tim was fed up with being asked the same question every time he was out in public.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Are you seeing anyone?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Who are you dating?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Is there anyone special in your life right now?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ever since he turned eighteen, the vicious sharks that made up the press were </span>
  <em>
    <span>desperate</span>
  </em>
  <span> for the details of his romantic life. Bruce had said it would blow over soon enough, once some new sensational story came about, but four months later they were still going strong. Tim was at the end of his rope with them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were only so many times he could say, “No comment.” It hadn’t made any difference at all in four months. Apparently, being the youngest CEO in history and of such a huge company made him </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> eligible. While the chatter had calmed down a bit over time, it was still present enough that something had to be done. Something drastic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something he was dreading.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All he needed for a few weeks was a fake date, a partner that would get the vultures off his back. It had to be someone he knew because it had to seem authentic. That was a short list though. Dick wasn’t an option. Kon, Bart, and Cassie were all out because they were all busy and they’d have to be in Gotham. Stephanie and Tam were just… no. He wasn’t doing that. That really only left the first </span>
  <em>
    <span>and last</span>
  </em>
  <span> person Tim would ever want to pick.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once upon a time, Jason had been his Robin, his hero, the person he wanted to make proud almost as much as his parents. The hero-worship had died when Tim nearly did. Tim’s crush did too, but that didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>stay</span>
  </em>
  <span> gone. It took a few years, Jason apologizing, and the Reds working a few cases together, but it returned with a vengeance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And here he was, about to ask his goddamn crush to be his fake boyfriend. Tim would be lucky if this didn’t break the shaky… truce? Friendship? Whatever it was they had. Tim would like to call them friends, but did </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jason</span>
  </em>
  <span> think they were friends? Oh god, Jason probably didn’t think they were friends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t do this, he absolutely, positively, </span>
  <em>
    <span>could not</span>
  </em>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The soft chime of his phone’s reminder tone broke him out of the downward spiral of his thoughts. The notification popped up, dragging his attention from Jason’s contact. Right, he was supposed to appear on some talk show tomorrow. Youngest and most eligible CEO and all. He just knew they’d try to pry into his love life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim had to do this. Before he could rethink it, he pressed dial. At the first ring, he almost panicked and chucked it across the room instinctively. This was a terrible idea, but it was the lesser of the two evils. He was just about ready to snap and </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> tear into the press. Physically, verbally, he wasn’t even sure at this point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason answered on the third ring. “What’s up, Timbo? You don’t call very often.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was a huge mistake.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need you to do me a big favor.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That depends,” Jason drawled, “on what the favor is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wincing, Tim said in a rush, “I need you to be my fake boyfriend for a little while so the press will stop hounding me for details on a love life I don’t have.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silence. Every moment without a response made it harder for Tim to breathe. He had fucked up, he had fucked up, abort, </span>
  <em>
    <span>abort</span>
  </em>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason snorted. “You know, I was wondering how you were holding up with that. I’ve seen the news about it. Guess this answers my question, huh?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Guess it does. Any chance you could answer mine?” Nerves and stress made him snarky, okay? The past few months were rough, Tim thought he could be forgiven.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, Timmy, I can help you get them out of your hair for a little while,” Jason said. “Alright, do you want to figure out our epic love story right now, or is there something you need to do?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim sighed, relaxing bonelessly into the couch. “Now please. I have to be on some morning talk show tomorrow, and they’re going to ask.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next hour and a half, Tim swung wildly between excitement over getting to date his crush and hopeless misery that it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fake</span>
  </em>
  <span>. They both gave the okay for holding hands, going on dates, even kissing to sell this charade. He would get to do all of that with Jason, which kind of made him want to bury his face in a pillow and scream like a complete cliche. As soon as they were out of the public eye, though? There wouldn’t be anyone to pretend for. All bets would be off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next few months were going to be amazing and terrible all at once.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim didn’t sleep much that night.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>This was absolutely a mistake and Tim should have just suffered through the continual questioning about his non-existent love life. What the hell had he been thinking?! Sleep-Deprived Tim made terrible choices, honestly. Sure, he could </span>
  <em>
    <span>totally</span>
  </em>
  <span> fake-date his sort of long-time crush! That wouldn’t end in disaster and heartbreak </span>
  <em>
    <span>at all</span>
  </em>
  <span>! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Real and fake heartbreak, even, because they had a messy break-up planned. It was going to happen in two months in public, and he would cry – that probably wouldn’t be fake – and the press would hopefully feel sorry enough for him to not pester him about romance for a while.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim was absolutely doomed. He literally set himself up for failure.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Drake-Wayne?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim startled, staring at the assistant that had called his name.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You go on in 5 minutes,” the assistant said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This whole situation was messing him up. He was usually more aware of his surroundings, but he kept getting lost in thought because he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fake-dating his crush and one-time hero</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Oh god.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Focus. Talk show. They’ll inevitably ask, and then he has to get to work on selling this whole… thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He heard clapping and then the assistant gave him a nod. “That’s your cue,” they said. Tim walked out, his CEO-Drake Heir smile firmly in place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To his surprise, the host, a woman in her mid-thirties, stayed on script and didn’t ask if he was dating anyone until halfway through the show. When the question did come, Tim coughed and glanced away. The flush on his face wasn’t fake because for a couple months everyone would think that someone like </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jason</span>
  </em>
  <span> would date Tim, of all people. Jason Todd was legally dead, but he was handsome and kind and he would publicly be dating Tim. No, his blushing was very real, but that only worked to help sell the act even more. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” the host teased, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> look says you are. Who’s the lucky lady? Or maybe you haven’t asked her out yet?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His head snapped towards her with a very real scowl on his face. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>He</span>
  </em>
  <span> and I only started dating recently. It’s still pretty new, and I’m not willing to share more at this time. We would like to figure out our relationship before we face the scrutiny of the public.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He almost smirked at her stiffly pleasant smile. She was trying to hide her shock, and to the inexperienced eye, she succeeded. However, Tim was a detective on a different level altogether. Plus, with Cass for a sister, he was bound to pick up something from the master of reading body language and expressions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘He’, huh?” she said cheerfully for the camera. “That’s quite a surprise – you’ve had multiple girlfriends in the past.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim hummed, “Yes, I’m bisexual, though I recently realized that I lean more towards men than women. See, something a lot of people don’t understand is that it’s like a scale and everyone has their own preferences. It took me a long time to come to terms with that because of the heteronormativity in our society and the compulsory heterosexuality that many of us in the LGBTQ+ community have to work through.” He smiled back at her, projecting as much innocence as he could as he derailed her interview.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah. Congratulations on finding yourself, then,” the host grinned. Tim saw the </span>
  <em>
    <span>panic</span>
  </em>
  <span> in her eyes. Her interview with the young, eligible CEO had gone in an unexpected direction and she had no idea what to do.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Meanwhile, he was having the time of his life, and he was fairly sure Jason would be howling when he watched it. If Tim had to suffer through pretending to date Jason, he was going to enjoy any suffering others went through along the way. This woman was the first.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim sure as hell wasn’t going to regret coming out very publicly and speaking out about some of the problems in their society. He wasn’t even worried that much about how this would affect Wayne Enterprises – Bruce would back him up. He’d probably even be proud of Tim.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the show went very smoothly. All personal questions disappeared completely as the host stuck to discussing the various community projects that Wayne Enterprises had. It was rather frustrating that it took a fake-boyfriend and shocking the host of a morning talk show to actually be asked about his work, though.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>His phone was blowing up with notifications by the time he was free from the cameras. Oh the joys of a live show and a family that either really supported him or wanted to find something to taunt him about – it was difficult to tell. All he knew was that Bruce, Dick, Alfred, Stephanie, and Cass usually tried to watch any time he appeared on TV. Which meant they all heard that he had a boyfriend, and he was about to be pestered to the ends of the earth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed but accepted the call coming in. “Hey Dick,” he greeted, projecting as much innocence as he could into his voice. It worked a lot better when he was younger and happier. Now he was a bit too tired and jaded to sell it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Timmy! I just wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>check in</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Dick said pointedly. “You know, see if there’s anything </span>
  <em>
    <span>new</span>
  </em>
  <span> in your life. Maybe something you </span>
  <em>
    <span>neglected to tell me</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Humming, Tim pretended to think it over. “Nope, can’t think of anything,” he said finally as he continued to his car and climbed in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the other end of the line there was a quiet squawk and a scuffling sound, then a click. “Tim,” Bruce cut in and oh, he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> on speaker now. That meant they were ganging up on him, instead of letting him deal with them one by one. “You have a boyfriend.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim didn’t answer – it hadn’t been a question, after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Master Timothy, I do believe all of us feel hurt that you neglected to inform us of this development,” Alfred reprimanded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh shit, now </span>
  <em>
    <span>Alfred</span>
  </em>
  <span> was in on this. Dammit, he really preferred dealing with them one at a time. “Alfred, it’s… complicated, but I promise that it’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> new development! I haven’t been hiding it for days or anything, I swear. How about I come to the manor for lunch today and I’ll explain?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Very good Master Timothy,” Alfred sniffed. “I shall set out a place setting for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alfred hung up the phone, cutting off Dick and Bruce’s protesting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim stared at his phone for a second and then hurried home. He needed to talk to Jason. He also needed to grab something for the inevitable headache. Any lunch with the whole family resulted in a headache, but at least this one might prove somewhat entertaining as well.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Tim collapsed carelessly across his couch, and dug his phone out of his pocket. With a resigned sigh, he dialed Jason.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he picked up, Tim didn’t bother offering or waiting for a greeting. “You have to come to the manor for lunch.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Then, Jason asked, “Why the hell should I do that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim groaned and sunk deeper into his couch. “Bruce, Dick, and Alfred watched the talk show this morning—” Tim waited for Jason to stop snickering. So he did watch it then. At least he enjoyed it, apparently. “Yeah. They weren’t happy that they hadn’t been informed. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine</span>
  </em>
  <span> when it was just Bruce and Dick, but then Alfred spoke up. Jay, he used the Disappointed In You voice. I had to say something!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Jason sighed, “that would do it. So, what did you say? That it’s fake or that we’re dating? Or both.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I said it was complicated and very recent.” Tim smirked and added, “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>also</span>
  </em>
  <span> said I would go to the manor for lunch and explain. If you come with me, you can see Dick and Bruce’s reactions first-hand and we can troll them a little more. Alfred will get the truth out of us pretty quick, but we can have some fun with this before he does.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You sneaky bastard.” He knew Jason well enough that he could almost feel Jason’s glare. “Alright fine, you little shit. I’ll be there for lunch so we can mess with those fuckers.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim refrained from cheering – that would only make Jason change his mind. Well, he didn’t cheer </span>
  <em>
    <span>out loud</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Cheering internally was perfectly acceptable. Though this was going to be his first test at acting like Jason’s boyfriend for a little while. Why did Tim keep putting himself in these situations?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, see you there,” he said before hanging up. Tim hauled himself off the couch and headed for the kitchen. Coffee was imperative and he still needed to grab some medicine. After today, he’d know for sure whether fake-dating Jason would be amazing or painful.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An hour later, Jason was just climbing off his motorcycle when Tim pulled up to the manor. He waited for Tim to climb off his own bike and then murmured, “How do we want to do this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim paused. “What are you comfortable with?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can put my arm around your shoulders, if you’re cool with that?” he offered. “Feel free to wrap your arm around my waist.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Snickering, Tim walked over close enough for Jason to get his arm around him, and Jason pulled him into his side. He tried not to lean into the warmth, but if Jason did notice, hopefully Tim could pass it off as his usual touch-starvation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Trolling Dick and Bruce was going to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>hilarious</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dick threw open the door just as they were walking up. When he did, his hands were on his hips and he looked ready to scold Tim for all his secret-keeping – something that never went over well in a family of detectives. Then it registered what he was seeing and the only way Tim could describe it was that Dick </span>
  <em>
    <span>blue-screened</span>
  </em>
  <span>. His face went blank and Tim could almost see an error message pop up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Dick.exe has stopped working</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Dick,” Tim said casually, jumping right into it, “Jason’s my boyfriend.” As soon as he said it, he wondered if this was really the best plan. Jason was definitely on better terms with the family now, but there was still a chance that they’d react badly, and that might hurt Jason because as much as he tried to hide it, he still wanted their approval at times and oh god—</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dick </span>
  <em>
    <span>grinned</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and just – </span>
  <em>
    <span>what?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Yeah, Tim was glad that this was apparently being received well, but that… wasn’t the response he was expecting. At all. He was expecting shock, stuttering and stumbling and </span>
  <em>
    <span>confusion</span>
  </em>
  <span>! Not… </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Finally!” Dick burst out. “Oh my god, we’ve all been waiting for you two to get together for </span>
  <em>
    <span>ages</span>
  </em>
  <span>! I guess this means Bruce wins the bet, then.” He mock-scowled at them. “Really, you two? You couldn’t have waited until one of you was in danger and then confessed? Or is that what happened? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh my god,</span>
  </em>
  <span> if that happened and none of us heard about one of you being in </span>
  <em>
    <span>serious danger</span>
  </em>
  <span> then the lecture on keeping secrets is going to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>so much worse</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What.” Jason said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim, however, was well on his way to panicking and fleeing Gotham entirely. Apparently, everyone else had picked up on his crush. Okay, sure, he wasn’t really surprised Dick knew after all the times he gushed about Jason to Dick, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>enough people for a betting pool?</span>
  </em>
  <span> How did everyone else find out? He’d been subtle! Of all the possible ways this could end terribly that had run through his head, he never thought Jason would find out because Dick couldn’t keep his mouth shut.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dick shrugged, “Yeah, we were betting on you two. I’m not sure why you’re so surprised. I mean, really, after all the other bets we make? I’m just glad you two finally got your shit together.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He huffed, looking reproachfully at Jason. “Little Wing, I love you, but if I had to listen to one more phone call about how much you wish you had never attacked Tim because he’s wonderful and amazing and he didn’t deserve what you did to him – I was going to scream. And Tim, Baby Bird…” Dick looked at him, raising an eyebrow, “I really don’t need to listen to another twenty minute rant about how incredible Jay is and how you’re so happy he’s doing better now. I mean, you two were ridiculous. Bruce had to listen to me whine about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Tim.exe has stopped working</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Tim thought, trying to process all of that with his brain moving at a snail’s pace. Because it </span>
  <em>
    <span>sounded</span>
  </em>
  <span> like Jason liked him too, but that – that couldn’t possibly be right. There was absolutely no way his feelings were reciprocated. Tim risked a glance at Jason, half-terrified of what he’d see, but Jason didn’t seem confused or disgusted or anything like that. No, he was just as utterly gobsmacked as Tim was, but that didn’t mean he felt the same.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Man, you have no idea how </span>
  <em>
    <span>heartbroken</span>
  </em>
  <span> I was when I thought you had started dating someone else,” Dick continued, oblivious to their reactions. “I knew you thought Jason probably thought you were an annoying pest at best, so I thought you’d given up and started dating someone new. Meanwhile, Jason was absolutely </span>
  <em>
    <span>convinced</span>
  </em>
  <span> that you couldn’t like him after the whole Pit Madness thing. But I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>so glad</span>
  </em>
  <span> you two worked it all out!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re fake-dating to get the press off my back,” Tim blurted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason’s head snapped to look at Tim. “You think that I think you’re an annoying pest?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay</span>
  </em>
  <span>, so uh,” Dick rocked back on his heels, “it looks like you two have some things to discuss. I’m just… going to go inside now. Lunch will be ready in ten minutes, so try to have it sorted by then? Come in once you do. Uh. Good luck?” He slipped inside and closed the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim stared at the closed door, trying not to stare at his… at Jason. Oh god. What even were they now? He was still pressed up against Jason’s side. Why was he pressed up against Jason’s side? He really should not be—</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Tim tried to slide his hand away, the arm wrapped around his shoulders tightened, holding him in place. Then, Jason was in front of him, tucking Tim’s face into his chest and resting his chin on top of Tim’s head. Tim would forever deny that he squeaked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“For the record, I don’t think you’re an annoying pest at all. The Demon Brat, sure, but I think you’re actually pretty fucking incredible,” Jason said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Tim whispered. “I think you’re really awesome too. And I forgave you a while ago for what happened while you were still dealing with the Pit Madness. I promise I don’t hold it against you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t deserve that, Baby Bird. I tried to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill</span>
  </em>
  <span> you, multiple times. I know for a fact that you’ve got scars from my attempts, so why would you—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That wasn’t you,” Tim cut in firmly, dislodging Jason to glare up at him. “That wasn’t you acting as yourself. I mean, it was the Pit influencing you and twisting things. Then on top of that, you were dealing with the trauma of dying and digging yourself out of your grave! It wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Jay, and you’re not like that anymore. You’re so much better now, and I’m so glad because you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>happier</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I just like seeing you happy.” Tim’s cheeks burned as he realized what he said. He groaned, hiding his face back against Jason’s chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim felt Jason’s chuckle. “Shut up,” he muttered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I like seeing you happy too,” Jason admitted. “Since Dick spilled everything already, I’ll go ahead and say that I like </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Tim. It’s why I agreed to be your fake-boyfriend. I wasn’t sure whether I was dreading or looking forward to the next couple of months. How would you feel about dating for real?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tim pulled away, eyes wide. “Yes, please, oh my god I was so not looking forward to the staged break-up. I was going to actually cry without needing to pretend at all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason laughed louder that time. “I would have probably held it together until I got back to my apartment. I already decided that I was going to be eating a lot more ice cream.” Tim tried to bury his grin in Jason’s chest, but Jason huffed and pulled back. “As fucking adorable as that is, didn’t I just say that I liked seeing you happy? Come on, don’t hide that pretty smile from me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh my god, stop</span>
  </em>
  <span>. We’re about to have lunch with our entire family, can you please not make me look like a tomato,” he groaned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, alright, I’ll lay off for now. Let’s get inside, Baby Bird.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How much do you want to bet that they’ve been watching us through the windows?” Tim grumbled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jason shook his head as he started leading him towards the door. “I’m sure as fuck not taking that bet.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading!! Comments and kudos are much appreciated!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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